Trivia Browser
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Man of Action Entertainment, an American writing collective best known for creating Marvel Comics' "Big Hero 6" and several animated action shows for Cartoon Network (i.e. "Ben 10" and "Generator Rex"), helped create the story for The Quiet Man.
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According to Final Fantasy XVI's creative director/scenario writer Kazutoyo Maehiro and the game's producer Naoki Yoshida in a 2023 IGN article, in the Japanese version of the game, Chocobos are referred to as "uma" (馬), which is the Japanese word for "horse". Initially, neither Maehiro or director Hiroshi Takai considered using Chocobos in the game at all, because according to Maehiro, "when thinking about the story, the worldview, and a feeling of reality, a horse just looked better as a silhouette when straddled." Yoshida elaborated that horses fit better when building a world based on European medieval gothic fantasy:
Despite this explanation, Yoshida still instructed the development team to include Chocobos in the game in an effort to stay faithful to the series' long-standing elements. The Japanese version also still refers to them as Chocobos and horses interchangeably. Maehiro stated that he tried to tie the Chocobos into the history of Valisthea through partnerships with its people, in an effort to create something culturally familiar. He justified this by stating that in Japanese, they "sometimes refer to a car as 'legs', or not having a car as 'having no legs'; and in the same way, the people of Valisthea refer to Chocobos as 'horses'." He subsequently implied that actual horses may exist in other regions in the game's world, but that in Valisthea, Chocobos function as their regional equivalent to actual horses. Localization director Michael-Christopher Koji Fox also stated that he decided not to refer to Chocobos as horses in the game's English translation:
The terminology in the decision to refer to Chocobos as horses resulted in confused or joking reactions from Japanese players online, since this is not the first time Chocobos were referred to as horses in the series. In the original 2010 release of Final Fantasy XIV Online, the kanji characters for horse and bird (鳥 , "tori") were used together as "horsebird" (馬鳥) in the Japanese script in place of the standard katakana for Chocobo (チョコボ). At release, several other katakana terms were replaced with kanji symbols, with some terms existing in-game as written in Chinese rather than Japanese. Square Enix offered several conflicting explanations for the changes, including the need to "build atmosphere", and to consolidate terminology with the then-upcoming Chinese-language release, but these did not help as the change caused an uproar among Japanese players, resulting in Chocobo being reincorporated into the Japanese version's script in a future update. The controversy would later be referenced in the 2013 reboot of Final Fantasy XIV Online through a piece of dialogue spoken by Golden Uma Doshin, a Quest NPC found in Central Shroud as part of the limited time quest "Turn Around, Beautiful":
"In reality, horses are animals that can build strong partnerships with humans. We share a long history with them. Weapons involving horses also appear more realistic. Especially with the improvement in graphics being so remarkable, there is a chance that it becomes difficult to lie or deceive viewers, in a good way, and as a result, may impair the sense of immersion. Chocobos are based on birds, which first of all means they don’t stand on four legs, and that makes them more difficult to mount. When compared with a horse it might not feel as stable to ride a Chocobo, and their wings aren’t big and strong enough to take you to the sky, either."
Despite this explanation, Yoshida still instructed the development team to include Chocobos in the game in an effort to stay faithful to the series' long-standing elements. The Japanese version also still refers to them as Chocobos and horses interchangeably. Maehiro stated that he tried to tie the Chocobos into the history of Valisthea through partnerships with its people, in an effort to create something culturally familiar. He justified this by stating that in Japanese, they "sometimes refer to a car as 'legs', or not having a car as 'having no legs'; and in the same way, the people of Valisthea refer to Chocobos as 'horses'." He subsequently implied that actual horses may exist in other regions in the game's world, but that in Valisthea, Chocobos function as their regional equivalent to actual horses. Localization director Michael-Christopher Koji Fox also stated that he decided not to refer to Chocobos as horses in the game's English translation:
"I remember seeing it in the script and remarking, 'You're saying 'horse' here. You're sure that's OK?' But Maehiro said, 'Yes, this is what we wanted to do.' In English, we never really wanted to use the word horse, because Chocobos and horses are entirely different. It just sounded weird to us in that sense. But we do use words like 'steed'; and I think 'courser' [a medieval word for a warhorse,] as well."
The terminology in the decision to refer to Chocobos as horses resulted in confused or joking reactions from Japanese players online, since this is not the first time Chocobos were referred to as horses in the series. In the original 2010 release of Final Fantasy XIV Online, the kanji characters for horse and bird (鳥 , "tori") were used together as "horsebird" (馬鳥) in the Japanese script in place of the standard katakana for Chocobo (チョコボ). At release, several other katakana terms were replaced with kanji symbols, with some terms existing in-game as written in Chinese rather than Japanese. Square Enix offered several conflicting explanations for the changes, including the need to "build atmosphere", and to consolidate terminology with the then-upcoming Chinese-language release, but these did not help as the change caused an uproar among Japanese players, resulting in Chocobo being reincorporated into the Japanese version's script in a future update. The controversy would later be referenced in the 2013 reboot of Final Fantasy XIV Online through a piece of dialogue spoken by Golden Uma Doshin, a Quest NPC found in Central Shroud as part of the limited time quest "Turn Around, Beautiful":
"Chocobo... chocobo... chocobo... Nothing but horsebirds in this stable. A sight to disturb Eastern eyes, to be sure."
IGN: Chocobos are Called 'Horses' in the Japanese Version of Final Fantasy XVI:
https://www.ign.com/articles/chocobos-are-called-horses-in-final-fantasy-xvi-japanese-version
Censored Gaming: In The Japanese Version Of Final Fantasy XVI, Chocobos Are Called "Horses":
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7AT-QpAwkqQ
Destructoid: Final Fantasy XIV text issue turns Chocobos to Horsebirds:
https://www.destructoid.com/final-fantasy-xiv-text-issue-turns-chocobos-to-horsebirds/
Final Fantasy XIV Online wiki articles:
https://ffxiv.consolegameswiki.com/wiki/Golden_Uma_Doshin
https://ffxiv.consolegameswiki.com/wiki/Turn_Around,_Beautiful
https://www.ign.com/articles/chocobos-are-called-horses-in-final-fantasy-xvi-japanese-version
Censored Gaming: In The Japanese Version Of Final Fantasy XVI, Chocobos Are Called "Horses":
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7AT-QpAwkqQ
Destructoid: Final Fantasy XIV text issue turns Chocobos to Horsebirds:
https://www.destructoid.com/final-fantasy-xiv-text-issue-turns-chocobos-to-horsebirds/
Final Fantasy XIV Online wiki articles:
https://ffxiv.consolegameswiki.com/wiki/Golden_Uma_Doshin
https://ffxiv.consolegameswiki.com/wiki/Turn_Around,_Beautiful
subdirectory_arrow_right Starglider (Collection)
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Argonaut Software's Starglider games released in the 1980s, which were first-person combat flight simulators rendered with wireframe vector graphics, inspired them to come up with a prototype that would eventually lead to the creation of the first Star Fox. They created a prototype for the Nintendo Entertainment System codenamed as "NESGlider" that was based on the original game, utilizing a similar method to accelerate graphics to how the Super FX chip for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System later would. When they showed this prototype to Nintendo in 1990, they were instead advised to port and develop the game for the then-upcoming SNES. After Argonauts did that, Nintendo declared that this was the best 3D graphics the console could produce and that they hadn't designed the SNES with 3D games in mind. Argonaut staff suggested that if they wanted better, then they should let them design a 3D chip for them, and thus the Super FX chip was born.
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An earlier logo for Star Fox 64 found within the 2020 Nintendo Gigaleak seems to indicate that its subtitle was, at one point, going to be "The Cosmic Crisis".
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Star Fox 64's development began with a series of experiments by character designer Takaya Imamura and programmer Kazuaki Morita. As Morita was new to 3D programming, creating something entirely new was difficult, and to make matters worse, they didn't have the final N64 hardware itself to work with, instead having to utilize a bulky dev computer and a modified SNES controller. The pair decided to begin development by porting the original Star Fox, which they thought would be better for easing into 3D. As this was Morita's first attempt at learning 3D, he began with inputting his own data and placing objects like cubes on a course, and then launched basic-looking Arwings. This prototype was affectionately named "Star Box".
User's translation of Star Fox 64 developer interview from official Japanese guidebook:
https://www.reddit.com/r/starfox/comments/x938ib/behold_an_attempt_at_translating_an_interview/
Nintendo Dream Star Fox Adventures interview:
https://shmuplations.com/starfoxadventures/
General SF64 development timeline overview:
https://tcrf.net/Prerelease:Star_Fox_64
https://www.reddit.com/r/starfox/comments/x938ib/behold_an_attempt_at_translating_an_interview/
Nintendo Dream Star Fox Adventures interview:
https://shmuplations.com/starfoxadventures/
General SF64 development timeline overview:
https://tcrf.net/Prerelease:Star_Fox_64
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When a Skittles game was first proposed to eventual Darkened Skye executive producer Elizabeth Braswell by her boss, she responded "well, you have two choices: you can fire me now, and make the next year and a half much easier on me, or you can, like, not make me do this." The following night, she went to a bar and got drunk over the Skittles project, which she deemed "the end of [her] career". While intoxicated, she conceived the idea of using Skittles as a vehicle to do a self-aware high fantasy adventure game she had always wanted to do, but never got the chance.
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Kira's photo unlocked at "Sweetheart" level was originally going to feature her holding a frothy mug of ale, but this was scrapped in favor of having her tug the player's shirt.
subdirectory_arrow_right M&M's (Franchise)
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Darkened Skye came about as a result of Simon & Schuster Interactive attempting to acquire the M&M's license for use in gaming, due to the popularity of the Spokescandy mascots. Skittles was simply a back-up option in case the M&M's deal fell through, but both licenses were acquired. While Dale DeSharone, one of the game's executive producers, believed it should have been aimed at a younger child audience, Mars wanted to attract an audience of people in their 20s, because that demographic did not buy Skittles as much as people in their 30s and older, though they were also adamant that the game couldn't be violent. The game's aesthetic was inspired by a series of late-1990s high fantasy Skittles commercials.
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Darkened Skye almost had its Skittles branding pulled late in development. Ultimately the product placement was retained, but not featured on the box.
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According to former Capcom illustrator Akira "Akiman" Yasuda, one of the game's promotional illustrations depicting Chun-Li performing her Spinning Bird Kick move was based on the first pencil drawing of the move made for the game.
subdirectory_arrow_right Nobunaga's Ambition (Collection)
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In an interview with the game's producer Michi Ryu published on Noisy Pixel on June 22, 2023, in response to a question asking if Nobunaga's Ambition: Awakening would bring together all of the series' history in honor of its 40th anniversary, he stated:
In a separate interview with Siliconera, he clarified that the game's concept was the most impactful change made during development, since in previous Nobunaga's Ambition titles, officers only acted when players ordered them to. With Awakening, officers are able to think and act on their own in various situations without orders, which Ryu felt was closer to how humans act in real-life and to how various officers during Japan's Warring States period would have acted without orders from daimyos, the latter of which they tried to show in the game.
"The goal of this series is to create a realistic experience of Warring States Japan, but other than that vision, we are not too conscious about the past that much. Although there may have been staff members who were. Even if we had created the same system as past games, ideas change as people change. As gaming platforms evolve, we can also show more, so I didn’t worry about it even if we made the same thing in the past. For this game, the concept is a living officer who thinks for himself and act accordingly, but I focused more on how we wanted to show things next, and not on doing something that has not been done before."
In a separate interview with Siliconera, he clarified that the game's concept was the most impactful change made during development, since in previous Nobunaga's Ambition titles, officers only acted when players ordered them to. With Awakening, officers are able to think and act on their own in various situations without orders, which Ryu felt was closer to how humans act in real-life and to how various officers during Japan's Warring States period would have acted without orders from daimyos, the latter of which they tried to show in the game.
Nobunaga’s Ambition: Awakening Interview – Producer Reflects on 40 Years of Nobunaga and its Future:
https://noisypixel.net/nobunagas-ambition-awakening-producer-interview/
Interview: How Nobunaga’s Ambition: Awakening Builds on the Past Entries:
https://www.siliconera.com/interview-how-nobunagas-ambition-awakening-builds-on-the-past-entries/
https://noisypixel.net/nobunagas-ambition-awakening-producer-interview/
Interview: How Nobunaga’s Ambition: Awakening Builds on the Past Entries:
https://www.siliconera.com/interview-how-nobunagas-ambition-awakening-builds-on-the-past-entries/
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In an interview with the game's producer Michi Ryu published on Siliconera on July 25, 2023, he revealed that the COVID-19 pandemic had a significant impact on the game’s development, which started just before the pandemic. The team had to adjust to an unfamiliar work style and structure, which made it difficult to exchange information with team members. Chat tools and video calls became crucial for communication during this period, which they normally did not use before.
Ryu mentioned another significant challenge during development was the unification of daimyo and retainers. The team wanted to show the theme of "living officers who think and act on their own", but found it difficult to decide to what extent retainers should act on their own. Some would act too smart and expand their territory if the player left them alone which Ryu believed would make for boring gameplay, but he also did not want to put extra stress on the player by making the officers stupid. Their solution to this was "not to indicate what is right to do but to let the players decide."
Conversely, Ryu could not recall anything that came together easily during the development process.
Ryu mentioned another significant challenge during development was the unification of daimyo and retainers. The team wanted to show the theme of "living officers who think and act on their own", but found it difficult to decide to what extent retainers should act on their own. Some would act too smart and expand their territory if the player left them alone which Ryu believed would make for boring gameplay, but he also did not want to put extra stress on the player by making the officers stupid. Their solution to this was "not to indicate what is right to do but to let the players decide."
Conversely, Ryu could not recall anything that came together easily during the development process.
subdirectory_arrow_right Kameo: Elements of Power (Game)
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In its early stages, when it was a GameCube title being published by Nintendo, Kameo was meant to be a Pokémon-style game where the player could collect hundreds of baby creatures and nurture them to adulthood, utilizing their unique abilities. However, when the game's development was shuffled over to the Xbox platform as a result of Microsoft's purchase of Rare in late 2002, it was decided somewhere along the way to retool the game in an attempt to make it fit the new Xbox demographic, removing the Pokémon aspect and repurposing some of the monsters as additional forms that the protagonist Kameo could take on. In light of this, Rare had also attempted to disguise the fact that Kameo herself was a fairy, as they felt that fairies were too soft for the Xbox demographic, by repositioning her as more of an elf. It was a direction that creative director George Andreas felt was fruitless in hindsight, and he ultimately now believes that the game should have just been scrapped entirely.
Footage of GCN Kameo showcasing the Pokemon-esque mechanics:
https://youtu.be/juVEpxhUk-Q?t=11
Retro Gamer interview with Phil Tossell:
https://issuu.com/roylazarovich/docs/retro_gamer_122
Eurogamer article on Andreas lamenting over Kameo:
https://www.eurogamer.net/rare-we-should-have-scrapped-kameo
https://youtu.be/juVEpxhUk-Q?t=11
Retro Gamer interview with Phil Tossell:
https://issuu.com/roylazarovich/docs/retro_gamer_122
Eurogamer article on Andreas lamenting over Kameo:
https://www.eurogamer.net/rare-we-should-have-scrapped-kameo
subdirectory_arrow_right Pikmin 3 Deluxe (Game)
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An unused enemy named "iwadama" was found in the game files. The creature shares many characteristics with the Beady Long Legs from Pikmin and Pikmin 2. However, instead of the spherical head the boss normally has, it is replaced with a large foot of the boss, possibly implying it would stomp it's head into the ground as well, and may have been a reimagining of the boss. It's unknown why it was cut, but it's possible it was replaced with the Shaggy and Baldy Long Legs in the final game.
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Shrek: Ogres and Dronkeys was originally going to feature the offspring of Gingy and Puss in Boots as new characters, but these were rejected by DreamWorks, likely for not existing within the Shrek movies.
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Falco Lombardi, Slippy Toad and Peppy Hare were at one point considered for Fox's alternate costumes, before being scrapped in favor of generic recolours. Falco would eventually appear as a unique character in Super Smash Bros. Melee, and while Slippy and Peppy to date still have not appeared, alternate costumes that change a character outright would become a Smash feature starting in the 3DS and Wii U games, with Alph for Olimar and the Koopalings for Bowser Jr.
subdirectory_arrow_right The Great Ace Attorney 2: Resolve (Game), The Great Ace Attorney: Adventures (Game)
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Head localizer Janet Hsu struggled with the inclusion of real-life Japanese novelist Natsume Sōseki when localizing The Great Ace Attorney games. While Natsume is recognizable to Japanese players (his books are required learning in Japanese schools), his character relied on a natural cultural warmth towards him. This made it difficult to make the character as lovable for an audience who would likely not know who he is.
subdirectory_arrow_right Gyakuten Saiban 3 (Game)
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Although it had never been stated that Mia Fey had won all of her completed trials, Shu Takumi considered this to be true when considering how the game's fourth episode "Turnabout Beginnings" (which canonically features the first trial for both Mia and Miles Edgeworth, the latter of whom had been stated to have a perfect win record in trials prior to the events of the first game) would be resolved:
"Ayasato Chihiro! Became a defense attorney at 24 and was always undefeated!
Mitsurugi Reiji! Became a prosecutor at 20 and was always victorious!
Yes. Their pasts were already set.
A trial where “the undefeated” collides with the “ever victorious”. What could the verdict be…?
There was only one answer to that on my mind."
Mitsurugi Reiji! Became a prosecutor at 20 and was always victorious!
Yes. Their pasts were already set.
A trial where “the undefeated” collides with the “ever victorious”. What could the verdict be…?
There was only one answer to that on my mind."
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Although Nickelodeon interfered signficiantly with the development of Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl, moveset and gameplay designer Thaddeus Crews has stated that he was surprised and grateful for the amount of creative control the game's teams were given:
"I'm just happy we had as much freedom as we did, because people can look at the game and very much see what feels like restrictions and make very, very valid criticisms based on that, which can be difficult from a developer view to not comment on, but it is at the same time, not entirely, wholly restrictive, the fact that movesets were able to be constructed by development team, and still would have to be approved through due process, but at its origin, were on our end, and then implemented by us - that is rewarding, that is more rewarding overall to work with these than it feels like pressure."